ohanami

hanami_20070409_39.jpg

1. One of the most beautiful times of year in Japan are the blooming of the cherry blossom trees, which signals the beginning of spring. Cherry blossom viewing parties, or “ohanami”, are held all across the country, and it’s basically a picnic underneath the cherry blossom trees where you hang out with co-workers and friends and family and get utterly sloshed. It’s brilliant!

2. Check out some of my other shots in my portfolio here.

No One Belongs Here More Than You

1. This is the most awesomest website in the history of websites, and quite possible of life itself. Really. I wanna meet a girl this damn cool. Then marry her.

http://noonebelongsheremorethanyou.com/

…play us a song

1. I’ve been thinking about getting one of these since I got myself a copy of GarageBand when it came out. I mean, I can plug in my guitar and play, but I can’t use that to control the hundreds of software instruments on my computer. And now that I’ve been playing a lot more I’ve been feeling the urge to learn new instruments — I tried to get my sister to send me her trumpet (which, by the way, YOU NEVER USE) but she balked. I didn’t want to spend the money on one yet (but it’s on the cards) so I decided to get the keyboard instead.

0704_keyboard.jpg

2. I know, I know, you can’t really learn piano properly on a spongy keyboard, but I’m not looking to be a pro, I just want to learn enough to write songs and record them. I’ve only had it for a few days, and already I’ve cranked out some tunes. I’ll put them here (if) when they’re ready (and decent).

3. So, in my tiny apartment here I now own two guitars and a 49 key MIDI controller. And a double bed. And I’m thinking of buying a trumpet. And speaking of guitars, I never posted a pic of my new baby…

0704_guitar.jpg

Running. I don’t do it. Normally.

1. I recently spoke to a close friend online. I mentioned to her that I’ve recently started running, to which she responded:

TB: BULLSHIT!!!

2. …which neatly sums up my attitude towards running, and excercise in general, since about Year 11 of High School (AKA Some Years Ago). But, I’m not getting any younger, although the way I spend my weekends here suggests that I am, mentally at least, regressing, and I promised myself that when the weather warmed I would start excercising. So, the weather warmed, and I went to the shoe store and bought a pair of NikeFree shoes.

0704_shoes.jpg

3. They’re wicked! Super light, super comfortable, and super flexible which lets my feet flex the way they’re supposed to. The whole upper material is mesh, and on a cold night you can actually feel the cold air come in, but it means I’m not assaulted by foot-sweat-smell when I take my shoes off after a run. Extra points for that.

4. I also bought the Nike+iPod sensor kit, which is basically a pedometer and transmits information to my iPod, where it calculates things like distance, pace, calories used and the like and puts it on display. At the press of a button a voiceover will tell you those stats, and when you sync the iPod it will transfer that info to a Nike website when you can track your runs. The website lets you create goals (time spent running, pace, distance etc) and you can compare your results with other people online. I’m really diggin’ it, makes the whol excercising thing fun — something I ‘d never thought I’d say.

5. (And before I get accused of being an Apple/Nike whore — if anyone can point out a $30 device that does all that, I’ll look into it.)

6. Anyway, the sensor kit is really nice, and you don’t need to buy a pair of Nike+ shoes to use them either. I taped my sensor to the top of the tounge of my left shoe, it doesn’t get in the way at all.

0704_nikeipod.jpg

7. Maybe I’ll post monthly updates of my running stats — maybe. When they’re not so embarassing.

Facebook

1. Look, those who know me knows that I’m not that big a fan of social networking sites. (What’s wrong with email?) Many have sent invitations, and none had been accepted… until now. I dunno why I decided to join Facebook, but I have, so lets leave it at that. It is, however, surprisingly good. I’ve already discovered a few old friends who I don’t get to talk to very much, and there are some nifty features to discover new people — which is great if you live in a foreign country where friendship is at best a transient pleasure. And there are some nice mobile features too — I can email pics and notes straight to my Facebook profile, so if I see any funny stuff while out and about I can stick it straight online. Why? Well, why the hell not? I usually compile it into one of my Wacky Japan posts, but this is even easier, so look out for a bit of that coming your way.

2. Anyway, have a look for yourself here.

The Month of Random Purchases

1. Remember when I wrote about my new years resolutions? Particularly the one about not buying random stuff? Well, it be April, and how have I been going with that one, you wonder?

2. Not very well, I’m afraid.

3. This has been a month of random purchases. In addition to the lens I bought (a worthwhile purchase), I have a bought a pair of running shoes (another worthwhile purchase), a Nike+iPod sensor kit (makes excercising fun, so, again, worthwhile) and a MIDI keyboard controller for my computer (I’ve been wanting one for ages, and I’ve written a bit of music with it already, so also worthwhile).

4. Ha ha, and it’s only April 6th.

5. April 19th will see the arrival of a new mobile phone, because I’m sick of the super-old Nokia 6680 that I’ve been using. Symbian 7.0, you are sooooooo slow. I’m going to upgrade to a Nokia N73, so at last I’m back with a modern phone. And having played with it it is soooooo much faster than my phone. Soooooo much faster.

6. End of this month is the beginning of a week of holidays in Japan called Golden Week, and a mate and I will be celebrating by going on a semi-road trip to Tokyo and back. Woooo, road trip! Two single men, a week, and a land of beautiful women… wait, I don’t like where this is going. Anyhoo, It Should Be Good. Much drinking and merriment awaits!